Method of and apparatus for filling the shuttles with weft in progressive shed weaving looms

ABSTRACT

Method of and apparatus for filling shuttles with weft in progressive shed weaving looms with continuously travelling shuttles where the filling of shuttles takes place at the common part of the paths of shuttles and filling units moving at the same speed. The excessive part of the end of weft thread is transferred back, in the direction opposite to that of the direction of movement of the thread during the filling of the shuttle, before the end of the weft thread supply is inserted into the shuttle between the bobbin of the shuttle and the driving means of the metering device. At the same time, at the beginning of the winding, the said end of the weft thread supply frees itself from the grip of the braking mechanism and is retained by the windings on the bobbin of the shuttle; the weft is separated and simultaneously gripped by the nipping device, after the rated number of turns have been wound, after the shuttle has entered the shed and the weft has been interlaced by at least two warp threads.

United States Patent 91 Jekl et al.

[45] May 15, 1973 [75] Inventors: Ifrantis ek Jekl; Vladimi r Mate ju,

both of Ilsti nad O lici; Josef Pech, Brno; VitXzslav Vasek, Usti nadOrlici, all of Czechoslovakia [73] Assignee: Vyzkumny ustav bavlnarsky,Usti nad Orlici, Czechoslovakia [22] Filed: Apr. 26, 1971 [21] App].No.: 137,250

[52] US. Cl. ..139/12, 139/224 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 240,5648/1962 Australia ..139/12 157,292 7/1962 U.S.S.R...... 156,494 6/1962U.S.S.R.

84,859 10/1955 Czechoslovakia ..139/12 Primary Examiner-James Kee Chi Att0rney- Arthur 0. Klein 57] ABSTRACT Method of and apparatus forfilling shuttles with weft in progressive shed weaving looms withcontinuously travelling shuttles where the filling of shuttles takesplace at the common part of the paths of shuttles and filling unitsmoving at the same speed. The excessive part of the end of weft threadis transferred back, in the direction opposite to that of the directionof movement of the thread during the filling of the shuttle, before theend of the weft thread supply is inserted into the shuttle between thebobbin of the shuttle and the driving means of the metering device. Atthe same time, at the beginning of the winding, the said end of the weftthread supply frees itself from the grip of the braking mechanism and isretained by the windings on the bobbin of the shuttle; the weft isseparated and simultaneously gripped by the nipping device, after therated number of turns have been wound, after the shuttle has entered theshed and the weft has been interlaced by at least two warp threads.

11 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures PATENTED HAY] 51973 SHEET 1 [IF 3 ATTORNEYPATENTEU MAY 1 '5 I975 SHEET 2 [1F 3 ATTORNEY PATENTEUMAH 5197a SHEET 3[1F 3 mam ATTORNEY METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FILLING THE SHUTTLES WITHWEFT IN PROGRESSIVE SHED WEAVING LOOMS This invention relates to amethod of and an apparatus for filling the shuttles with weft inprogressive shed weaving looms.

A device is known that fills the shuttles of a weaving loom with weftconsecutively one after the other. At a weft-transferring station in themachine the supply of weft is prepared in the form of windings thenumber of turns of which is identical from shuttle to shuttle in orderthat the same length of the weft may be placed upon each shuttle. Afterthe weft has been wound by a rotating wing on a fixed spindle, theindividual prepared portions assigned for the individual shuttles aretaken over by the shuttle in the same form as it has been prepared, i.e.it is placed in the form of windings.

The above-described prior art device has a disadvantage in that it fillsthe shuttles with weft consecutively, and consequently, the speed ofweft preparation and the speed of its transfer into the shuttle limitsthe efficiency of the weaving loom. The continuous movement of theshuttles is interrupted in the area of transferring the weft, whichcomplicates the control of shuttle transport. Moreover, the inserting ofweft in the shuttle in the form of free windings can cause some windingsto slip, the tension of the weft being unwound to change, and possiblyeven to cause the weft to break.

Further, methods and apparatus are known in which the metering devicesprovided for filling the shuttles with weft travel along a circular pathone part of which coincides with the path of the shuttles. The shuttlesand the metering devices move at the same speed and the filling ofshuttles with weft takes place in the part of each path which is commonto both. Before the shuttle and the metering device part, the weftthread wound in the shuttle is separated from the supply of weft threadaccommodated in the metering device. The shuttles enter the weavingprocess loaded with a certain length of weft thread, the one end ofwhich must be nipped and clamped at the fall of the weaving width untilit is inserted. Meanwhile, the other end of the weft thread in theshuttle must not become free of the body of the shuttle in the weavingarea.

Known devices solve this problem in different ways. One of them catchesthe end of the yarn which is leaving the shuttle and is assigned to beheld at the fell of the fabric by a rotary belt moving with the samespeed as the shuttles. Before the shuttle enters the weaving process,this end of the weft thread must be loosened from the said belt andtaken over by a different device by which it is held throughout thewhole time of its being inserted.

Another device blows the end of freely accommodated yam from theshuttle, thus feeding it between the rotary belt and the rotating discwhich nip said end of yarn between them and transport it to the fellwhere it is stretched by the said device during the beating up of thefirst laminae.

A drawback of both said above prior devices resides in the fact that theends of weft yarn which are accommodated in the fell after the weavingprocess is finished are handled at least two times at one side duringthe weft preparation for insertion. This results, on the one hand, in aconsiderable waste of weft at the fell, and on the other hand in ahigher probability that the ends of the weft thread may not get caught,since the latter may be the consequence of an incorrect operation of anyof the devices which share this function. The reliability of nipping theyarn, however, can be increased by reducing the speed of the weavingloom; this, of course, produces a further undesirable result, i.e., thedecrease of output.

Besides the above circumstances, the reliability of nipping the yarn isaffected by the kind of material used for weft thread, by the dust inthe environment, and the degree of wear of the working surfaces. Themaximum reliability of nipping the yarn is necessary, particularlybecause the failure of the shuttle to nip the end of weft yarn resultsin a defect of the product which practically cannot be corrected inprogressive shed weaving looms.

Neither of said prior art devices complies with the technologicalrequirements, either, that the end of the weft thread be held during thewhole time of weft inserting, i.e. down to the time when beating up hasbeen finished. The holding mechanism of said devices cannot hold the endof weft thread so long as that, since their operation has a constantspeed irrespective of the time cycle of weft insertion. In case afurther holding device is used, the number of handling operations withthe end of weft is higher, and along with that the waste increases aswell.

Further, a device is known in which the shuttle is filled with weft bywinding a weft thread on a bobbin accommodated in the shuttle. Thebobbin rotates during the winding operation through the action of afixed toothed rack with which the bobbin engages during a certain partof the common path of the shuttles and the metering devices. The lengthof the weft wound on the bobbin of the shuttle is determined by thenumber of revolutions given to the bobbin. When the weft in the shuttleis separated from the supply of the weft thread of the metering unit,the free end of the weft thread is nipped directly in theshuttlef'Consequently, no separate holding device is needed to clamp thefree end of the yarn during the remainder of the circular path of theshuttle, but at the fell of the fabric the free end must be taken overby a holding, possibly also a stretching device, so that the describeddevice does not eliminate the disadvantage of a double handling of theend of yarn.

Moreover, further drawbacks are present in this lastdescribed prior artdevice. The speed of weft metering, i.e. of weft yarn winding, dependsupon the speed of weft inserting, and consequently upon the speed of thewhole machine in the case of this device. In spite of the same number ofbobbin revolutions in the shuttle, the length of wound yarn is differentfor different speeds. Various factors affect the deviations from thelength of yarn, e.g. different tensions and different vibrations atdifferent speeds. Given the relatively very small diameter of thebobbin, even the effect of centrifugal force upon the wound yarn isconsiderable. It is obvious that even an almost imperceptible change ofthe length of individual coils on the bobbin of the shuttle will resultin a measurable change of weft length because of the great number ofcoils on the bobbin. Consequently, the length of wound weft will varyunder different operating modes of the machine, such as normal running,slow running, and stopping. Also, the degree of wear of the machineaffects the length of the wefts. Besides, those shuttles which have notbeen completely filled with weft, be it because of yarn breakage orbecause of a defect of the metering device, cannot be additionallyfilled with the correct length of weft when the loom is stopped.

The present invention has among its objects the eliminating of the abovedrawbacks to a great extent, and the creation of both a method, and adevice for performing the same which are simple in design, for fillingthe shuttles with an exactly determined length of weft in a reliableway, irrespective of the speed of the loom, allowing the weft to beinserted with small losses of weft yarn.

In accordance with the present invention the excessive part of the endof weft thread is transferred back,

in the direction opposite to the direction of feeding of the threadduring the filling of the shuttle, before the end of the weft threadsupply is inserted into the shuttle between the bobbin of the shuttleand the driving means of the metering device; at the same time, at thebeginning of the winding, the said end of the weft thread supply freesitself from the grip of the braking mechanism and is retained by thenext windings on the bobbin of the shuttle, while the weft is separatedand simultaneously gripped by the nipping device. After the rated numberof windings have been wound and the shuttle has entered the shed and theweft has been interlaced by at least two warp threads, the placing ofthe weft thread into another shuttle is begun.

An important feature of the invention is the provision of the meteringdevice of the filling unit with a drive independent from the revolutionsof the machine, said drive being provided with outlet members meshingwith the recesses of the shuttle, and further with an accumulatingdevice, while the shuttle is provided with a freely rotatable bobbinarranged in the recess of the shuttle and the separating means togetherwith the nipping device are arranged next to the selvedge.

Especially important is the fact that the outlet member of theindependent drive of the metering device is the driving shaft providedwith a driving disc the axis of which is parallel with that of the axisof the bobbin of the shuttle, while the form of the part of the drivingdisc that contacts the bobbin of the shuttle corresponds with the formof the contact surface of said bobbin.

A particular advantage lies in the fact that the guiding and brakingmeans are attached to the driving means of the metering device, whilethe distance of a straight line passing through said guiding and brakingmeans from the axis of the driving shaft does not exceed the radius ofthe bobbin, and that the metering device of the filling unit is providedwith an adjustable weft thread passage limiter.

For a space-savin g arrangement of the device according to the inventionit is advantageous that the path of the filling units has the form of acircle or of two opposite half-circles connected by straight lines,while the path of the shuttles in the weaving area is a tangent to saidcircle or to said two half-circles.

Further advantages and features of the present invention will be morefully understood in the following detailed description read with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in plan diagrammatically illustrating an embodiment ofthe invention including a part of the weaving area of the loom;

FIG. 2 diagrammatically illustrates the embodiment I of FIG. 1 of theinvention in front view;

rection S shown in that figure;

FIG. 5 is a view in plan of the operation area of the filling unit andthe shuttle at the moment when their paths join;

FIG. 6 is a view in section taken along the line 6--@ in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view in plan of the beginning of winding the yarn on thebobbin of the shuttle after the bobbin has performed approximately 1 M1revolutions;

FIG. 8 is a section taken along the line 88 in FIG.

FIG. 9 depicts a detail of the contact of the driving disc with thebobbin of the shuttle;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the operation area of the filling unit and theshuttle at the moment before their paths part;

FIG. 11 is a view in the direction P shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the operation area of the filling unit and theshuttle after their paths have parted;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the phase of separation of the shuttle and thefilling unit at the moment when the weft thread is nipped by the brakebetween the shuttle and the filling unit; and

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the phase of separation of the shuttle and thefilling unit at the moment when the weft thread between the shuttle andthe filling unit is interrupted.

Turning now to the illustrative embodiment, there is shown a progressiveshed weaving loom, which is characterized by the fact that the loom isprovided with a plurality of shuttles 1 (FIGS. 1 and 2). During theprocess of weaving, at least some of the shuttles pass through theweaving area which is limited by the width of the warp which is drawnin, being created by warp threads 2. The transfer of the weft 31inserted by the shuttle 1 and the beating up to the fabric 4 is carriedout, in the illustrative embodiment, by laminae 5. After havingdeposited the weft 31, the shuttles 1 change their direction in a part(not shown) of their path 101 and return in a known way back to thestarting point of the fabric 4, where they are again filled with a weftthread, an operation which will be described in more detail later on.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention, the filling units 6move along a closed oval path 61 consisting of two half circles 62,63and of two straight sections 64, 65. A part of the path 101 of theshuttles 1 coincides with a part of the oval path 61 of the fillingunits 6. This common part is represented in FIG. 1 by two straightsections 64, 65 and one circular section 63 of the path 61 of thefilling units 6.

It is also possible, for a smaller part of filling units 6, to use apath (not shown) in the form of a circle. In an arrangement of fillingunits 6 on an oval path 61 according to FIG. 1, six filling units couldbe used in case of employing a circular path. The number of fillingunits placed on a circular path depends, in the first place, upon thesize of filling units 6 which limits the reduction of the radius of saidcircle, and further, upon the spacing of the filling units 6. The numberof filling I units 6 used in FIG. 1 does not depend upon the length ofthe straight sections 64, 65 of the path 61, depending substantiallyonly from the spacing of the filling units 6 and from the width offabric produced. The number of filling units 6 can further be affectedby the output of the weaving loom expressed as the length of insertedwefts 31 within a time unit, and by the maximum filling speed thatcannot be exceeded without a substantial decrease of operationreliability. By lengthening or by shortening the straight sections 64,65 of the oval rotary path 61 of the filling units 6 by a multiple ofthe spacing an optimum use of the filling operation of the filling units6 can be solved for various weaving systems, e.g. with various weavingwidths, without changing the arrangement layout and the technologicalmeans.

At the common part of the paths 61, 101 the shuttles 1 and the fillingunits 6 have the same speed and the same spacings. It is preferable,particularly from the viewpoint of simplicity of production, also to letthe shuttles 1 travel with the same speed along the remaining part oftheir path 101, yet it is not indispensable for the operation of thedevice according to the invention. The regularity and continuity of thespeed of shuttles 1 depends, in the first place, upon the type of drive.In an example of the illustrative embodiment, a known, unillustratedelectromagnetic drive has been used in which every shuttle l is carriedby means of a progressing magnetic field. Along the common part 7 of thepaths 61, 101 of the filling units 6 and the shuttles 1 the latter areguided at an exact distance from the filling units 6 by mechanicalmeans. These mechanical means consist, e.g. of an unillustrated fingerpressing upon the shuttles l in the groove which forms the path 101 ofthe shuttles l in this area.

Every filling unit 6 is provided with a supply of weft thread 3,preferably in the form of a bobbin 8, by a metering device 9 (FIG. 2),and by an accumulating mechanism and a limiter 10. The bobbin 8 is fixedby means of a holder 81 to the driving rotary device, which may consistof a guiding profile rail 1 1 together with an endless chain (not shown)fed over sprockets (not shown) driven by driving spindles 12, 13 (FIGS.1 and 2). The holder 81 is provided with an eye 82 for guiding the weftthread (FIG. 2).

The guiding eyes 901-904 are connected by means of the holder 905 with ametering device 9 of the filling unit 6.

The metering device 9 is further provided with a member 906 for guidingweft thread 3, with a selectively operated thread brake 907 and adriving shaft 908, with which the driving disc 909 is fixedly connected(FIGS. 4, 6, and 9), said disc being the output element of the meteringdevice 9 driven by a drive (not shown) independent from the speed of theweaving loom. As can be seen from the following description of theoperation of the device, the weft thread 3 passes the guiding member 906during all phases of the filling of the shuttles 1. In the embodimentshown, brake 907 has opposed jaws which selectively engage and retardthe thread passing therebetween.

The driving disc 909 is provided with two working conical surfaces 910,911 the intersection of which forms the edge 912. The reliable operationof the device according to the invention requires the straight lineconnecting the brake907 and the guide 906 to intersect the axis of thedriving shaft 908 or the distance of said straight line from the saidaxis to equal the radius of the front of bobbin 141 or to be less. Thelimiter 10 (FIG. 4 et seq.) of the passage of weft which is connected tothe metering device 9 consists of a brake with adjustable pressure inthe embodiment of the invention.

The accumulation device consists of a swingable arm 913 and fixedguiding eyes 902, 903.

Only one filling unit 6 has been described. However, the example of theembodiment is provided with twelve identical filling units 6 ofidentical design and identical operation. The choice of their number hasbeen discussed above.

All parts of the filling unit 6 travel along the rotary path 61 in amutually dependent movement, being driven, e.g. by a chain (not shown),similar to that above-described for the drive of bobbins 8;alternatively, individual units, such as. the metering unit 9, can bedriven by special means with a driving mechanism identical with that ofthe drive of other parts of filling units 6 and of shuttles 1.

Each shuttle 1 is provided with a bobbin 14 placed in the recess 102 ofthe body 103 of the shuttle 1. The bobbin 14 is freely rotatable aroundits axis on a pin that cannot be seen in the drawings. The rotations ofbobbin 14 can be retarded by a brake (not shown), e. g. in the form of aflat spring pressed against bobbin 14.

The upper part of bobbin 14 has the shape of a tapered surface 910 ofthe driving disc 909 of the metering device 9 (FIGS. 8 and 9). In theillustrative embodiment, the arrangement is such that both surfaces 141and 910 have the same degree of taper, thus forming the driving and thedriven parts of a conical coupling. The bobbin 14 is also provided witha recess 142 for receiving the weft thread 3 which is to create the weft31.

The shuttle 1 is provided with a groove 104 for the passage of weftthread 9 during the winding on bobbin 14. The groove 104 passes overinto an oblong slot 105 (FIGS. 11 and 14).

The nipping device 15 is disposed next to the fell of the fabric 4 atthe spot of depositing the weft 31, and adjacent to it there is aseparating device which is represented in FIGS. 13 and 14 by scissors16. Both devices 15 and 16 have one jaw fixed and one movable. Themovable jaws of the nipping mechanism 15 and of the scissors 16 arepreferably controlled by the same control means (not shown). The jaws ofthe nipping mechanism 15 grip the weft 31 by a shearing motion, theworking edges of both jaws being rounded. Next to the scissors 16 thereis a fixed weft-guiding pin 17 allowing a precise deposition of Weft 31between the jaws of the scissors 16 and the nipping mechanism 15.

Some of the mechanisms taking part in the operation of a deviceaccording to the invention have not been represented in the drawings, asthey are conventional and do not constitute the object of the invention;they can be replaced by other known devices with the same function. Thisrelates particularly to the dependent drive, which can be either commonto all filling units 6 or can be provided for every unit 6 separately.In both cases a mechanical stop is provided at the place where thewinding of the weft thread 3 begins in the path 61 of filling units 6,said stop connecting, in the former case (common drive), the meteringunit 9 with the common drive, whereas in the latter case (separatedrive), it sends an impulse to switch the electric motor of the meteringdevice 9. In an example of the illustrative embodiment, thedetermination of the number of revolutions of the bobbin 14 can becarried out by turning a toothed segment of the metering device 9, whichdrives a gear meshing with it. The size of said segment determines thenumber of revolutions of bobbin 14. This segment (not shown) can also beused to switch out the drive of the metering unit 9 when, e.g. theelectrical circuit of the electric motor being interrupted when thesegment lies in a predetermined angular position. A counter controlledby means of electric circuits can be used for determining the number ofrevolutions.

It is advantageous to use respective immovable guiding paths serving forthe necessary movements of individual parts either directly or by meansof a leverage in order to assure the movements of the filling units 6 inthe direction (FIG. 1) as well as for the movement of some parts, suchas e.g. the guide 906, the swingable arm 913, the jaws of the brake 907,the opening and the closing of the limiter 10.

The method of filling of the shuttles 1 with the weft 31, and thefunction of the above-described device according to the illustrativeembodiment of the invention are as follows:

The function of the device can be divided into the following three basicphases of successive cycles:

1. the meeting of shuttle 1 with the filling unit 6;

2. the metering of weft thread 3; and

3. the parting of the shuttle from the filling unit 6.

THE MEETING OF THE SHUTTLE WITH THE FILLING UNIT Before the paths 101,61 of the shuttle 1 and of the filling unit 6 meet, the metering device9 (FIGS. 2, 3, 4) is in its upper position over the rotary path 101 ofthe shuttles 1, in order to allow the driving discs 909 and the brake907 to pass over the body of the shuttle 1. The weft thread 3 passesthrough the guide eyes 82, 901, which can also have a braking effect.Further, it passes through the limiter 10, the guiding eye 902, throughthe guide 906 and is nipped by the brake 907. The weft thread also canpass through weft brake (not shown) or over a stop in the sectionbetween the guiding eyes 82, 901. In the area where the shuttle 1 meetsthe filling unit 6, the drawing-in of the cut end 32 of weft thread 3back into the filling unit 6 is finished, after the filling operationhas been performed, the swingable arm 913 forming a loop 33 of the weftthread 3 by swinging in the direction R (FIG. 4), while at the same timethe limiter does not allow the weft thread 3 to leave the bobbin 8 andthe brake 907 insures adequate tension of the weft thread 3 between theguide 906 and the brake 907 to be obtained. The end 32 of weft thread 3has been created by interrupting weft thread 3 between the shuttle 1 andthe filling unit 6; this operation will be described in more detail inthe description of the third basic phase. At the moment when the path101 of the shuttle l meets the path 61 of the filling unit 6, thedriving disc 909 assumes a coaxial position with respect to the bobbin14 of the shuttle 1 (FIGS. 5, 6). The metering device 9 comes down tothe winding position, travelling further along its path 61, andconsequently the driving disc 909 contacts the tapered surface 141 ofthe bobbin 14 by its tapered surface 910. At the sarne time the weftthread 3 stretched out between the guide 906 and the brake 907 is fed bythe groove 104 of the shuttle 1 into the winding plane passing throughthe edge 912 and the eye of the guide 906. The swingable arm 913 is inits outer position (FIGS. 5, 6), the drawing-in of the end 32 of weftthread 3 has been finished, the limiter 10 has freed the passage of weftthread 3 from the bobbin 8. The end 32 of weft thread 3 is held by thebrake 907. The filling unit 6 and the shuttle 1 are in a position inwhich the phase of the actual metering and filling of the shuttle 1 byweft 31 start.

THE METERING OF WEFT THREAD The connection of the metering device 9 withthe driving means (not shown) sets in when the predetermined position ofthe metering device 9 on its rotary path 61 has been reached. Thedriving disc 909 as the exit member of the metering device 9 startsrotating in the direction V (FIG. 7). Simultaneously, the bobbin 14starts rotating in the same direction, since the driving disc 909 andthe bobbin 14 form the driving and the driven parts of the taperedfriction coupling with mutual pressure serving to transmit the torquemoment. The weft thread 3 is tightly gripped between the bobbin 14 andthe driving disc 909; upon-turning the bobbin 14, the end 32 of weftthread 3 is pulled out of the brake 907 the braking effect of which islower than the gripping effect of the driving disc 909 and the bobbin14. The braking effect of brake 907 must also be lower than the strengthof weft thread 3. The end 32 of weft thread 3 starts rotating withbobbin l4 and is fastened by the first coil already on the bobbin insuch a way that the weft thread 3 which passes all the time through theguide 906 is wound according to the position of its eye either at thelevel of the edge 912 or somewhat higher, so that the weft thread 3slips over the tapered surface 911 and over the edge 912 to thecylindrical surface of the recess 142 of the bobbin 14 (FIGS. 7, 8, 9).

FIG. 9 represents the position of wound weft 3 and its end 32 when thebobbin '14 has turned through 360. During the winding, the weft thread 3is taken partly from the bobbin 8 of the filling unit 6, and partly fromthe loop 33 which is freed by the backward motion of the swingable arrn913 in the direction U between the eyes 902, 903 (FIG. 8). After theloop 33 has been loosened completely, the weft thread 3 is supplied bythe bobbin 8 only. The loosening of the loop 33 by the swingable arm 913can take place before the actual winding if the filling unit is providedwith a member (not shown) for tensioning weft thread 3.

The weft thread can be braked and controlled in a known way (notillustrated), e.g. in the area between the guiding eyes 82 and 901.

The winding is finished at least just before the shuttle 1 and thefilling unit 6 part. Usually it ends considerably sooner, depending uponthe winding speed and the length of weft 31. The predetermined length ofweft thread 3 is wound onto the bobbin 14 in such a way that themetering device 9 turns the driving disc 909, and thus also the bobbin14 through the respective number (whole and/or part revolutions) ofrevolutions.

The metering device 9 is driven by a mechanism that does not depend uponthe drive of the weaving loom. Thus the independence of the speed ofweft 3 from the picking speed of weft 31 in the weaving area is secured,as well as winding under unchanging tension, which has a favorableeffect upon the precision of the metered length. When the weaving loomis stopped, e.g. as a result of a warp breakage or of a breakage ofwound weft 31, the filling process is not interrupted in the shuttles 1where the filling has already begun. When the weaving loom is running,the metering devices 9 are brought into operation in one position only,i.e. at the beginning of the common part 7 of the paths 101, 61 of theshuttles 1 and the filling units 6. In the case of stoppage of theweaving loom, and consequently also when the circulation of shuttles 1and of filling units 6 is stopped, the filling unit 6 can be broughtagain into operation at any place of the common part 7 of the rotarypaths 101, 61. Thus, there is given the possibility of handling defectsof the filling unit 6, to tie up a broken weft thread 3, if necessary toexchange bobbins 14 or a whole shuttle l, and to supply a new. shuttle 1with the correct length of weft thread 3.

THE PARTING OF THE SHUTTLE WITH THE FILLING UNIT Before arriving at theplace where the shuttle 1 and the filling unit 6 part, the meteringdevice 9 starts rising in order to reach its upper position over therotary path of the shuttles 1 (FIG. 11) at the parting place of theshuttle l and the filling unit 6 (FIG. and in order that the drivingdisc 909 and the brake 907 may not prevent the shuttle 1 from leavingthe oval path 61 and from continuing to travel along the straightpart 65of the path 61 into the weaving area. The brake 907 opens in the upperposition, and the limiter 10 prevents the weft thread 3 from passinginto the metering device 9 from bobbin 8. The guide 906 remains in theposition for winding, i.e. it lowers-itself with respect to the meteringdevice.

In the next phase of the (FIG. 12) FIG. 12 the driving disc 909 with thebrake 907 pass off the shuttle at different levels. Since the distancebetween the guide 906 and the shuttle 1 increases and the weft thread 3is nipped by the limiter 10, the weft 31 unwinds from bobbin 14 in thedirection X (FIG. 12). At the same time, the weft 31 is drawn into theoblong slot 105 (FIGS. 11, 14) of the shuttle 1 which may contain aknown means for braking the weft 31, eg both elongated slots 105 can beprovided with flat springs (not shown) between which the weft 31 isheld.

In the next section (FIG. 13) the unwinding of weft 31 from bobbin 14and the drawing-in of weft 31 into the slot 105 of shuttle 1 take place.At the moment when the brake 907, on its rotary path, is over the weft31 stretched between the shuttle l and the guide 906, the brake 907comes down to the winding level and the weft 31 is thus fed between theopen jaws of the brake 907. When the downward movement is finished, thejaws of the brake 907 close again. The described operation is madepossible by synchronizing of the movement of shuttles 1, of fillingunits 6, and of the control device (not shown) of the brake 9 07.

In the following section (FIG. 14) the unwinding of weft 31 from bobbin14 takes place until the weft thread 3 between the shuttle 1 and thefilling unit 6 is interrupted. The weft thread 3 is cut by the scissors16 at the moment when the shuttle 1 has already entered the weaving areaand the picked weft 31 is interlaced by warp threads 2 coming over to ashed change. At the same time, the weft 31 is fed to the nipping device15, allowing, by the grip of the end of weft 31, the obtain ing of thesame weft tension 31 at the selvedge as at any other place of theweaving width. The operation of the nipping device ends before the nextweft is interlaced, that is, when the movable jaw of the nipping device15 withdraws for a moment from the immovable jaw, thus releasing theweft 31; through nipping by the backward grip motion of the movable jawthe following weft 31 is nipped simultaneously with its separating fromthe weft thread 3 by means of scissors 16. The peg 17 (FIG. 14) servesto assure proper guiding of the weft 31 into the nipping device 15 andto the scissors 16.

After the weft thread has been interrupted between the shuttle 1 and thefilling unit 6, the end 32 of weft thread 3 is transported back to thefilling unit 6 by drawing-in by means of the accumulating deviceconsisting of the swingable arm 913 and the guiding eyes 902, 903. Thedrawing-in of the end 32 of the weft thread 3 allows a stronger grip ofthe weft thread 3 to be obtained in the lirniter 10 than that of thebrake 907. The drawn-in length is given by the spacing between thescissors 16 and the brake 907 at the moment when the weft thread 3 isinterrupted. In order to have this drawn-in length as small as possible,the circular arch 62 of the oval path 61 is held as near the margin ofthe weaving width as possible, the radius of the circle is as small aspossible and the shuttle 1 leaves the oval path 61 in the direction ofthe straight portion 0f the path 61, i.e. in the direction of atangent'to the half-circular parts 62, 63 of the path 61 of the fillingunits 6, and alternatively, in the direction of a tangent to thecircular path (not shown) of filling units 6.

The nipping of weft thread 3 by the brake 907 before separating the weftby scissors 16 and backward drawing-in of the end 32 of the weft thread3 by the accumulating device serve as preparation for winding anddepositing weft thread 3 into the next following shuttle 1. Thesubsequent course of operation of the described device according to theinvention has been described above in the first or initial phase, theoperation of the filling unit 6 being a repeated one.

Although the inventionis illustrated and described with reference to onepreferred embodiment thereof, it is to be expressly understood that itis in no way limited to the disclosure of such a preferred embodiment,but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a progressive shed weaving loom having continuously travellingshuttles and continuously travelling filling units, said shuttles andfilling units travelling in paths which overlap in the shuttle-fillingportion of their travel wherein the shuttles and filling units travel atthe same speed and in the same direction, each said shuttle carrying afreely rotatable bobbin, the improved shuttle-filling mechanism whichcomprises a source of weft thread supply for each filling unit, eachfilling unit having a metering device, means for driving the meteringdevice, a thread accumulator acting upon the thread in advance of themetering device, a selectively operable thread limiter acting upon thethread between the thread source and the accumulator, means for guidingthe thread from the metering device to the shuttle, means disposed inadvance of the shuttle for selectively cutting the thread, a selectivelyoperable thread brake acting upon the thread between the metering deviceand the thread cutting means, thread nipping means disposed to act onthe thread between the thread cutting means and the bobbin, the meansfor driving the metering device of the filling unit being independent ofthe means for driving the loom, said means for driving selvedge, theaccumulator, thread limiter, and brake functioning to feed threadforwardly from the source of thread supply during the filling of abobbin, the shuttlefilling mechanism having means for feeding the threadrearwardly from the thread cutting means after the thread has been cutand upon the parting of the paths of the filling units of the shuttles.

2. A mechanism according to claim 1, comprising means for gripping theleading, cut end of the thread between the bobbin and the driving memberwhereby to pull the thread onto the bobbin at the start of abobbin-filling operation.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the driving member of theindependent drive of the metering de vice is a driving shaft providedwith a driving disc the axis of which is parallel with that of the axisof the bobbin of the shuttle, the form of the part of the driving discthat contacts the bobbin of the shuttle correspond ing with the form ofthe contact surface of said bobbin.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the thread guiding means andthe thread braking means are attached to the driving means of themetering device, the distance along a straight line passing through saidguiding and braking means between the axis of the driving shaft and thebraking means does not exceed the radius of the bobbin.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein the limiter of the meteringdevice of the filling unit is adjustable.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the path of the filling unitshas the form of a circle, while the path of the shuttles in the weavingarea is tangent to said circle.

7. A device according to claim 5, wherein the path of the filling unitsis created by two opposite half-circles connected by straight lines,while the path of the shuttles in the weaving area is tangent to bothsaid halfcircles.

8. A method of filling the shuttles with weft thread in progressive shedweaving looms with continuously travelling shuttles where the filling ofshuttles is carried out by travelling filling units at the common partof the paths of said shuttles and said filling units as the shuttles andfilling units move in the same direction and at the same speed,comprising inserting the end of the weft thread supply into the shuttlebetween the bobbin of the shuttle and the driving means of the meteringdevice, at the same time as the beginning of the winding the said end ofthe weft thread supply freeing the thread from the grip of the brakingmechanism and retaining it by the next windings on the bobbin of theshuttle, severing the weft and simultaneously gripping it by a nippingdevice after the rated number of windings have been wound, and, afterthe shuttle has entered the shed upon the parting of the paths of thefilling units and the shuttles and the weft has been interlaced by atleast two warp threads, transferring the excessive part of the end ofweft thread back in the direction opposite from that of the direction ofthe thread during the filling of the shuttle.

9. A device according to claim 1, wherein the shuttle is provided with arecess in one surface thereof, wherein the bobbin is mounted in saidrecess in the shuttle.

10. A device according to claim 3, wherein the part of the driving discthat contacts the bobbin of the shuttle and the surface of said bobbincontacted thereby are frusto-conical in shape.

1 l. A device according to claim 1, wherein the means for feeding thethread rearwardly is a part of the accumulator.

1. In a progressive shed weaving loom having continuously travellingshuttles and continuously travelling filling units, said shuttles andfilling units travelling in paths which overlap in the shuttle-fillingportion of their travel wherein the shuttles and filling units travel atthe same speed and in the same direction, each said shuttle carrying afreely rotatable bobbin, the improved shuttle-filling mechanism whichcomprises a source of weft thread supply for each filling unit, eachfilling unit having a metering device, means for driving the meteringdevice, a thread accumulator acting upon the thread in advance of themetering device, a selectively operable thread limiter acting upon thethread between the thread source and the accumulator, means for guidingthe thread from the metering device to the shuttle, means disposed inadvance of thE shuttle for selectively cutting the thread, a selectivelyoperable thread brake acting upon the thread between the metering deviceand the thread cutting means, thread nipping means disposed to act onthe thread between the thread cutting means and the bobbin, the meansfor driving the metering device of the filling unit being independent ofthe means for driving the loom, said means for driving the meteringdevice being provided with a driving member selectively meshing with thebobbin arranged on the shuttle, the thread cutting means together withthe thread nipping means being arranged next to the selvedge, theaccumulator, thread limiter, and brake functioning to feed threadforwardly from the source of thread supply during the filling of abobbin, the shuttle-filling mechanism having means for feeding thethread rearwardly from the thread cutting means after the thread hasbeen cut and upon the parting of the paths of the filling units of theshuttles.
 2. A mechanism according to claim 1, comprising means forgripping the leading, cut end of the thread between the bobbin and thedriving member whereby to pull the thread onto the bobbin at the startof a bobbin-filling operation.
 3. A device according to claim 2, whereinthe driving member of the independent drive of the metering device is adriving shaft provided with a driving disc the axis of which is parallelwith that of the axis of the bobbin of the shuttle, the form of the partof the driving disc that contacts the bobbin of the shuttlecorresponding with the form of the contact surface of said bobbin.
 4. Adevice according to claim 3, wherein the thread guiding means and thethread braking means are attached to the driving means of the meteringdevice, the distance along a straight line passing through said guidingand braking means between the axis of the driving shaft and the brakingmeans does not exceed the radius of the bobbin.
 5. A device according toclaim 4, wherein the limiter of the metering device of the filling unitis adjustable.
 6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the path of thefilling units has the form of a circle, while the path of the shuttlesin the weaving area is tangent to said circle.
 7. A device according toclaim 5, wherein the path of the filling units is created by twoopposite half-circles connected by straight lines, while the path of theshuttles in the weaving area is tangent to both said half-circles.
 8. Amethod of filling the shuttles with weft thread in progressive shedweaving looms with continuously travelling shuttles where the filling ofshuttles is carried out by travelling filling units at the common partof the paths of said shuttles and said filling units as the shuttles andfilling units move in the same direction and at the same speed,comprising inserting the end of the weft thread supply into the shuttlebetween the bobbin of the shuttle and the driving means of the meteringdevice, at the same time as the beginning of the winding the said end ofthe weft thread supply freeing the thread from the grip of the brakingmechanism and retaining it by the next windings on the bobbin of theshuttle, severing the weft and simultaneously gripping it by a nippingdevice after the rated number of windings have been wound, and, afterthe shuttle has entered the shed upon the parting of the paths of thefilling units and the shuttles and the weft has been interlaced by atleast two warp threads, transferring the excessive part of the end ofweft thread back in the direction opposite from that of the direction ofthe thread during the filling of the shuttle.
 9. A device according toclaim 1, wherein the shuttle is provided with a recess in one surfacethereof, wherein the bobbin is mounted in said recess in the shuttle.10. A device according to claim 3, wherein the part of the driving discthat contacts the bobbin of the shuttle and the surface of said bobbincontacted thereby are frusto-conical in shape.
 11. A device according toclaim 1, Wherein the means for feeding the thread rearwardly is a partof the accumulator.